Lettering & Sign Carving Workbook: 10 Skill-Building Projects for Carving and Painting Custom Signs

Description

A contemporary look at a nostalgic craft with updated techniques and a fresh variety of styles for carving and painting a variety of signs for the home, summer cottage or basement bar.

Betty Padden has been in the carving business for over 35 years. Her company, Wooden Apple Signmakers, was established in 1976 and offers design service and custom carved signs for both residential and commercial customers. Her work has been displayed at Walt Disney World and Disneyland as well as historic Quincy Market in Boston, MA. She teaches woodcarving to approximately 75 students per year.

There are 10 projects in this marvelous book that will help even the professional sign carver improve his/her skills. Author Padden is a very skilled and highly innovative carver and her book shows it. She takes you through her carvings from the first cut in raw wood through to every intricate detail including the final painting. The Paddy's Pub sign is just one example of the author's ingenuity but take a look at the detail in the Irish Claddagh Sign embellished with gold leaf. Even the seemingly simple Welcome sign is a work of art. It is amazing how she envisions such simple signs like a cabin nameplate. Amazing! This is one very talented lady and she deserves thanks for sharing it with us. 'The signs are there for this being a great project and technique guide, and one which will be a great addition to any carving bookshelf.' A book from woodcarver and professional sign maker Betty Padden leads the reader from simple to complex projects in basic letter-carving and painting, using premade blanks, creating lettering on the computer, gilding and aged painting. Projects included in the Lettering & Sign Carving Workbook (Fox Chapel Publishing; ISBN 978-1-56523-452-9) range from welcome and house signs to an Irish claddagh and an indoor Christmas scene sign. The book is priced at $19.95.